Cold....."Bitter COLD"........and long term survival???

[Sourdough]

I feel like there is some piece of information that I am NOT understanding about long term nomadic survival in the arctic. There is just so much about this subject area that I can't really grasp. Even with the best modern clothing and the best equipment it does not seem doable over a long period of time. And yet they did do it 125 years ago.

Maybe it was in the different diet. I have read extensively on the early explorers in Alaska from 1875 to 1940 and there is no deigning they did it, yes many died, frozen to death. Maybe it was the extensive use of fur clothing.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Seasonal preparation and routine maintenence of yourself and all you have. The first is what most won't accept and the second is why they go home after two weeks.

[Sourdough]

AS.......I was hoping you would join this conversation, as we both have extensive arctic experience. They used HUGE fur robes that were 8' by 8' and when ever they stopped for "Boil-up" they would wrap in that heavy blanket. To be clear I am referring to the musher who hauled freight over hundreds of miles of unbroken trail at -40* to -60* They never were indoors. In this thread I am referring to spending months at sub-zero with no break from the cold. They themselves say that the "Boil-up" was critical to survival.

[Sourdough]

You are correct about the fitness factor, especially the lungs.

[aflineman]

Surviving and being comfortable are two different things. I am sure that most of those folks had at least a case of frost nip and/or frost bite to show for their way of life. I am not sure I could do it over the long term. I would think that preparation (mind/body/gear) had much to do with it. That, and just sheer determination. I have read some accounts of Byrd at the South Pole that just amaze me.

[Trabitha]

Can't do it. Just can't do it. I hate being cold...just shoot me if we ever go back into an ice age. It will be far less cruel!! LOL!!

[Rick]

How did the dogs cope at those extreme temps?

[Alaskan Survivalist]

SD, I have read the Bible, The Book of Morman, The Richest Man in Babylon and How to Catch Trophy Halibut. That's it, period. "Boil up" is a term I am not familiar with. I make a point of not getting too comfortable just because most of the time I'm not and it only makes me notice it more when I am not. Some environments just suck and always will, get used to it and try not to notice it. I like my comforts as much as the next guy and have many ways to accomplish it, I just try not to over indulge. To FEEL warm at those temps needs a heat source and the colder it gets the more the heat neads to be contained. I heat up water in a canteen and use it as a hot water bottle in my bag or under my coat. It's kind of something I learned as a kid when my mother would hard boil eggs and put one in each pocket to keep my hands warm for the walk to school.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

How did the dogs cope at those extreme temps?

Most animals have the good sense to curl up in ball an hunker down in bad weather.

[Rick]

Well, I get that but these guys were transporting freight or mail or both or whatever by dog sled. I know the dogs were built for the work but -60F is cold by anyone's standard.

[Sam]

If you take a look at Ray Mears world of survival series on you-tube.com he spends time with folks in Siberia and in Finland and they are nomadic people that live out doors in tents year round.
-Sam

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Well, I get that but these guys were transporting freight or mail or both or whatever by dog sled. I know the dogs were built for the work but -60F is cold by anyone's standard.

The dogs of that day were not like the sled dogs of today. It's like comparing a race horse to a mule. They could take it and if you have dogs you always have a warm place to sleep.

[Rick]

Maybe that was part of their secret. A few warm dogs sure wouldn't hurt.

[randyt]

I don't know what boil up means to others but to me it means tea time.

[randyt]

I think it takes some getting used to. for example in the fall of the year you are cold with only a tee shirt on but in the spring your re comfortable in a tee shirt on a day that is colder than the fall day was. I don't know how this would apply to arctic conditions but the principles should be the same.

[Sourdough]

If you take a look at Ray Mears world of survival series on you-tube.com he spends time with folks in Siberia and in Finland and they are nomadic people that live out doors in tents year round.
-Sam

That is part of my point.......these guys did not use tents, they curled up in a fur robe.

[Sourdough]

I don't know what boil up means to others but to me it means tea time.

Yes, the rule was no matter what every two or three hours you stopped and made tea and had a bite of something to eat, not a lot, maybe one biscuit or one bite of meat.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Now that I know what you are talking about, yeah I do that. My favorite is hot buttered rum but most often just a shot of brandy or Crown Royal in my coffee. Thats why I like that Swiss Army stove so much.

[finallyME]

SD, I have read the Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Richest Man in Babylon and How to Catch Trophy Halibut. That's it, period.

What you haven't read "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino? Highly recommended and easy reading.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

My lack of education is my weak point. Having read so little I try to choose carefully what I do read. I found the complete works of Shakespear at a garage sale last summer I am trying to read when I find the time now. Spell check makes me look smarter than I am but don't be fooled, you are talking to a truck driver that never finished school. If I have any advantage at all is that I know I'm an idiot unlike some very educated people.